Refusing Painting's Obsolescence - Stanley Whitney in Hyperallergic
1 December 2018
By synthesizing geometric structure and painterly improvisation, Whitney found his way past Color Field Painting’s poured puddles and Minimalism’s tendency towards monochrome, strict geometry, hard edges, and the modular repetition favored by Donald Judd in his “stacks.” Rather than working within the parameters established by either of these two historically divergent, well-documented tendencies, Whitney reconfigured them into something all his own. I think his smart reconfiguration has nothing to do with strategy and everything to do with his insistence on painting and drawing in color: how do you keep doing these activities when they have been declared obsolete?
Stanley Whitney: In the Color continues at both of Lisson Gallery's New York spaces through 21 December, 2018.
Image: Stanley Whitney, The Secret of Black Song & Laughter, 2018, Oil on linen
